April STEM Challenge - The Cup Pyramid

This was an interesting challenge.  I had seen it done before but I remember it taking much longer than it did these kiddos!

The Challenge:  Using a rubber band and some string, students will transfer plastic cups from their current configuration into a pyramid.  

Each team (four students) received a rubber band, four pieces of string or yarn (24 inch lengths), and six plastic SOLO cups.

The ultimate goal was to see who could do it the fastest without touching the cups with their hands.  We had five teams and each one came up with the same procedure!  They began by tying each piece of string around the rubber band.  Next, the worked together by grabbing a string such that when all strings were held, students can stretch the rubber band. They all worked together to to “grab” each cup, one at a time, and moved them into the configuration of a pyramid.

It was really neat to see how well they worked together and how quickly they were able to put together their pyramid.  All teams were done within 30 minutes!  (Which is why there are NO PICTURES!)